


Are You Seeing Anyone Right Now?

by thelotusflower



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Kyle, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:22:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29314017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelotusflower/pseuds/thelotusflower
Summary: Craig never intended on becoming some pillar of support for Kyle Broflovski and his dumb, failure of flings, but somehow it happened anyway. If anything, it’s maybe just an indicator that Craig is probably the worst romantic in the world. He begrudgingly told Tweek about it, and that’s what he called him at least.It started when Craig asked, “so… are you seeing anyone right now?”
Relationships: (mentioned) - Relationship, Clyde Donovan/Tweek Tweak, Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	Are You Seeing Anyone Right Now?

Craig never intended on becoming some pillar of support for Kyle Broflovski and his dumb, failure of flings, but somehow it happened anyway. If anything, it’s maybe just an indicator that Craig is probably the worst romantic in the world. He begrudgingly told Tweek about it, and that’s what he called him at least.

It started when Craig asked, “so… are you seeing anyone right now?”

Instead of taking the _hint_ , the genius began to talk about his ongoing association with Lesley. In total embarrassment, Craig listened and asked questions like a normal person; _friend_ , whatever people wanted to hear in situations like that.

“She is just being so _weird._ Everything was fine at first, but I think she might be ghosting me,” he said _._

Kyle clearly didn’t understand the point of the question, or maybe he _did_ and this was his rejection.

Either way, that seemed to start a reaction. Maybe because Craig listened the first time — insulted the girl and picked her apart — but Kyle proceeded to confine in Craig about all his failed romantic endeavors.

“You’re being a coward and should fess up to your feelings,” Tweek said one day after school, as if he and Clyde hadn’t been in some back and forth dance themselves.

“There is nothing to fess up because I am over him,” Craig said in response. He took that first initial brush off as a rejection. Kyle was smart. He knew he wasn’t evil, so he didn’t think he was _consciously_ doing it, but Craig theorized it was his way of dismissing him.

He wasn’t sure why he even kept playing along; while every time Kyle brought up said person who ended things with him, he proceeded to listen and engage. Perhaps Craig _wanted_ to rip on these people. He just thought a lot of them were stupid, and honestly, not good enough for Kyle anyways.

Lesley was manipulative and strange. Her social cues were almost worse than Craig’s which was saying something. Rebecca was lame and _weird,_ in a bad way. Bebe was Craig’s friend, but she was still nothing to get all pouty about. She and Kyle had nothing in common. Bebe just thought he had a cute ass, which was _true,_ but. Kyle had a lot of other cool attributes as well.

Sometimes Kyle would bring his previous failed relationships up as well — as if it was all proof that he was going to die alone. He had a thing with Nichole, Heidi, and David. It wasn’t his fault any of them ended though. Heidi was involved with Cartman and under his manipulation, David moved away, and Nichole was a lesbian.

It was whiney and dumb, and he honestly made him kind of resent him.

It wasn’t until they were out of school and at one of Stan’s _my dad got arrested, again_ parties did Craig mention how whiney and annoying Kyle sounded.

The redhead had plopped down next to him on the staircase. Craig noticed he was a little more loose than normal; his _thump_ was a little louder and aggressive than needed be. He glanced down at his red solo cup in his pale hands; the mixture of liquor splashing around the cup at the sudden inertia.

Craig was interested what Kyle would say. At least he was until Kyle said, _“I hate these parties._ Everyone always ends up hooking up, and you’re just forced to watch.”

Craig had a inkling of where this was going — Kyle feeling bad for himself. He was amazed that someone as accomplished as Kyle could feel so upset that stupid high schoolers from South Park and North Park did not want to hook up with him.

“You don’t have to watch,” Craig lifted his red-solo cup to his lips to take a sip, keeping eyes narrowed on Kyle as he did so. He decided to put an end to this for good.

“That’s not the point, and you know it. It’s not about that _literally_ watching them — it’s about how _everyone_ does it.”

“Okay? Teenagers are horny? Called hormones, maybe look them up sometime,” Craig tipped the rest of the drink down; feeling suddenly agitated at the presence of Kyle. He tossed the cup off the stair ledge. He expected Kyle to reprimand him for making a mess or something, but he didn’t.

He eyed Kyle again. The redhead looked straight ahead, bottom lip stuck beneath his teeth. Craig briefly wondered what that might have felt like against his own lips but he pushed away the thought.

“I know teenagers are horny! But these parties are always like a goddamn mating ground.”

“Then don’t come.”

“What’s your problem?”

“I’m not the one who seems to have one,” Craig shifted his gaze forward. Kyle was not _wrong_ ; high school parties were wildly prone to hook-up culture. It is why Craig ended up on the stair-case instead of his alleged group. Clyde and Tweek finally took the plunge, and Token was somewhere off with Wendy. Craig didn’t really _mind_ though. High school hook-up culture provided a lot of gossip Monday morning, always making the day more entertaining.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just —,” he sighed, “looking more for just a hook up. Sometimes I feel like that’s all what high school is.”

Craig had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Instead, he let out a tired groan.

Kyle took offense to this.

“ _What?_ ”

“Nothing. I just am sick of you confining me about this shit. Why don’t you bother Stan or someone with it?”

“What are you talking about?”

Craig searched his squinted, pale green eyes. He seriously looked _confused_. “You keep whining to me about how no one _loves_ you or whatever.”

He didn’t mean to bite it out but he did. Feeling slightly embarrassed by the brashness, he looked away. He thought about how he threw his empty cup to the side. He wished he had just gotten up to get another. He briefly registered that he could still get up now and get one, but that would require stepping away from Kyle.

Which should had been _easy_ but wasn’t.

“ _Sorry?_ Jesus. Does it really _kill_ you to be nice every once in awhile — as if you even comfort me. You always just trash the people I like, anyway.”

“Because your taste is horrible.”

Kyle scoffed.

“I mean it. I can’t believe you went out with Bebe,” he lifted his gaze to meet Kyle’s.

Kyle stared back with tight lips and a glint of anger in his pale eyes. Under the influence, it was harder to ignore how stupidly cute his face was; especially whenever he was mad, which was just about always. His stomach twisted.

“She’s literally one of your best friends.”

“Exactly. I know how she is. What did you guys even talk about? Fashion? I’m sure you had a lot to say about that with the same three hoodies you wear constantly — or did you bore her with basketball details? Or did you talk about space? Trust me, if she feigned any interest, she was fucking lying. Anytime, I tried to talk to her about any space-related shit, she blew me off.”

Kyle blinked. “Dude, I don’t know. Okay? She’s a pretty girl and she asked me out! She’s nice. What’s your problem?”

“My problem?” Craig scoffed, looking away. He felt the words on his tongue. The alcohol was making it harder to hold them in. “I told you. You’re always whining about your stupid love life to me.”

“I’ll be sure not to bring it up again — don’t worry. You don’t have to be such a dick about it.”

“Yeah, I do, because you’re such a dick to yourself for no reason — why do you mope around about these people? You’re immensely better than any of them.”

He didn’t mean to say that. The words just slipped off his tongue; rolled off with no permission. His mouth fell agape as he stared at pale green eyes, widening in shape.

“You’re sending … mixed signals… like do you want to? Didn’t you want to change the subject? But … thanks. I guess.”

The redhead looked down and swallowed. He could tell that he didn’t believe him for whatever reason.

“I fucking mean it.”

Kyle flicked his eyes up again. Craig stared back. The look stole the breath straight from his lungs. Kyle’s eyes softened; his face relaxed, his mouth fell agape again.

Maybe he was lying when he said he was over the redhead.

“You know, usually, when someone asks if someone is seeing someone, they ask because they want to ask that person on a date,” Craig said. “Not because they want to hear the other person _mope_ over a bunch of obnoxious losers.”

Kyle furrowed a brow.

“You were gonna ask me on a date?”

“Yes, as I said, that’s what usually follows _, are you seeing anyone?”_

He looked away, the words and situation catching up to him. He could feel the heat crawling up his neck and through his cheeks. He thought again to stand up and get another drink, but instead he stayed glued to the step. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Kyle staring.

“Oh, wow, I’m… such an idiot.”

Craig gruntled out, “yeah, you are.”

“Why didn’t you tell me to shut up… or like, I don’t know, clarify?”

Craig thought about it. He honestly _wanted_ to make Kyle feel better in all those times. Seeing him all mopey and depressed was unpleasant to watch. “I figured you couldn’t be that stupid — that it was just some unspoken rejection,” he shrugged, gaze still plastered to the floor.

He felt his heart hammering inside him. This wasn’t supposed to happen tonight, or at all really. He never planned to bring this up to Kyle _again_. He promised himself he would take it to the grave out of embarrassment, but here he was _talking_ about it.

Tweek said he still liked him; said, “ _you have liked him forever, you dummy and should tell him more directly.”_

But god dammit. Craig didn’t _want_ to. He didn’t want to embarrass himself a second time.

“It wasn’t. I just. I don’t know. You… I didn’t think you even liked me all that much.”

He almost wanted to roll his eyes because of how untrue the statement was. He didn’t know what to say. It’s not like Kyle was jumping at the missed opportunity or anything. He scuffed his show against the hardwood floor. He was surprised no one had tried to come through their barricade on the stairway yet. He kind of wished someone would.

“Whatever,” Craig chose to say instead. “Don’t get all weird about it, Broflovski.”

“I’m not getting _weird_ about it,” Kyle argued. “Look, I just. I feel like such a douchebag. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He felt Kyle staring. He really should stand up and walk away; cut his losses before this gets even _more_ awkward. Yet, he felt guilt radiating off him. He picked his gaze up and turned to Kyle.

Kyle was already looking.

However, he wasn’t _saying_ anything.

“What.” Craig said.

Kyle blinked, red eyelashes against ivory skin.

His heart pounded violently against his rib cage. He wanted to look away, but was once again trapped. Kyle swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Do you still want to?”

Craig tilted his head to the side, his heart abusing his rib cage. He failed to think of anything clever and instead just said, “yeah _._ ”

The corner of Kyle’s lip twitched upward, although something resembling doubt glistened in his pale eyes. “I haven’t put you off?”

“Why would you?”

“I don’t know how much you have been paying attention, but I’m usually the reason things don’t work out,” Kyle turned his head forward, his eyes fluttering in direction of his nearly empty red solo cup. Craig watched as he brought the cup’s rim to his lips and took the final gulp.

Craig didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t good at this. It’s why he always used the _they’re wrong and stupid_ approach when comforting him. He typically didn’t focus on Kyle, but it seemed that’s what he needed.

He drew in a breath, thankful for the buzz. He wasn’t sure if he could say this sober. “I don’t care about other people do or think. I just, _like_ you, and I have for a while.”

Kyle shifted his head and their eyes clicked together. The eye contact suddenly made him realize how real this was and his heart stopped in his chest.

Thankfully, that seemed to be enough for him. Kyle smiled at him and the doubt in his eyes was gone.

“When you were planning to ask me on a date…” Kyle’s eyes flickered down, his finger tapping on his cup. “Did you have anything in mind?”

“I was thinking we could go to the Denver amusement park.”

He could feel heat on his cheeks and he knew it was not from the alcohol but redhead’s lit up expression, and this whole interaction in general.

“That sounds fun,” Kyle approved. “Are you free on Friday?”

Craig nodded with a smile, “I am.”

“Sounds like a date, then,” Kyle smiled back.

Craig continued to nod, feeling the nervousness bubble up in his chest. “Sounds like it.”

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, idk? what this was! I’ve been having a writers block. I wish I could find it now, but I found an edit of Kyle a while back that was basically all of his failed romantic interests and it made me really sad. hope this was somewhat realistic. thanks for reading!


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